Man dies while rappelling down cliff in Death Valley

A narrow road winds through Titus Canyon. The road, dirt and barely a car wide in spots, is a back route into Death Valley National Park.

A narrow road winds through Titus Canyon. The road, dirt and barely a car wide in spots, is a back route into Death Valley National Park.

Photo: Joshua Trudell, For The Express-News

Photo: Joshua Trudell, For The Express-News

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A narrow road winds through Titus Canyon. The road, dirt and barely a car wide in spots, is a back route into Death Valley National Park.

A narrow road winds through Titus Canyon. The road, dirt and barely a car wide in spots, is a back route into Death Valley National Park.

Photo: Joshua Trudell, For The Express-News

Man dies while rappelling down cliff in Death Valley

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Federal authorities say a Southern California man died in a fall while rappelling down a 380-foot cliff in Death Valley National Park.

Park officials say Matthew Yaussi of Glendale fell on Saturday near Titus Canyon. His body was recovered the next day.

Officials say the accident happened while the 41-year-old and a companion were canyoneering — an activity that combines hiking, climbing and rappelling that has grown increasingly popular in the park. It requires 19 rappels down cliffs or dry waterfalls.

Park officials said the canyoneering path taken by Yaussi and his companion is "not a commonly done route."

"The two canyoneers planned to break the 380-foot rappel into stages by setting up an anchor on a ledge partway down," a press release from Death Valley National Park reads. "Yaussi's companion had already rappelled to the ground when Yaussi fell to his death at approximately 8:30 p.m.

"His companion activated an emergency locator beacon and was extracted later that night by the U.S. Navy's VX-31 helicopter, based in China Lake."